“Cayden?” Isabella’s voice was low, almost uncertain, yet clear enough to reach him. Cayden turned his head slowly. His expression carried no hint of recognition. His eyes were just steady, sharp, and cold. He doesn't want to show even just a little bit of weaknesses, especially towards the woman who made him feel less before. “You must be mistaken,” he said flatly. “I am Mr. X, CEO of Titan Group," he emphasized the name he'd been using for almost three years now, far from his real name that's just carrying the bruises of his past. Isabella blinked, her lips parting. “No… I know it’s you. You can’t deny it.” Her eyes didn't left his eyes. She wants to search for any traces that it's really him, Cayden...The man she refuses to fight for. “I suggest you control yourself,” Cayden said in a frosty voice. “I am not the person you think I am." Still Cayden, didn't go out from his powerful posture. He even faces her eyes looking at him intently, as gasps rippled among the nearby gu

Before Don Ricardo approaches Cayden... “Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention,” Zhao Wei’s voice boomed across the marble-floored hall, drawing eyes from every corner of the gala. He stood near the center, dressed in an expensive tailored suit, his chin tilted upward as if he owned the room. “Tonight marks a new era for Zhao Enterprises. I am pleased to announce that I have officially secured a partnership with Horizon Group. This is no small accomplishment, it is a milestone that will reshape the future of our industry.” Polite applause followed, but it carried no warmth. Guests clinked glasses for form’s sake, yet their faces betrayed little enthusiasm. Still, Zhao basked in it. He stretched his smile wider, flashing his gleaming watch as he raised his champagne. “Didn’t I say it?” Zhao went on, his tone is dripping with arrogance. “When one has true vision, true connections, doors open that others can only dream of. Horizon Group recognizes real potential, an

“Please, just listen to me!” Isabella’s voice cracked as she hurried after him, the sound of her heels clicking hard against the marble floor. Cayden didn’t stop. His tall frame was straight, his pace is still steady, and his aura is cold enough to freeze the air around them. She caught his sleeve and clung to it. “I was pressured by my family. You have to understand they forced me into it! I didn’t have a choice!” He turned slightly, his eyes cutting into hers with ice. “No choice? Don’t insult me. Every word you said that night was yours. No one forced you to spit on my name. No one forced you to call me useless. That was all you!" Her hands trembled, clinging tighter. “I didn’t mean it. I swear. I was scared, I was confused. I was cornered—” “Stop!" His voice hit like a lash. His jaw tightened as he pulled at his sleeve, but she refused to let go. “I was wrong!” Her tone rose, almost frantic. “I admit it. But can’t you see? I regret everything. Every single night I thou

“Why does it hurt so much now?” Isabella whispered, her voice is trembling as she sat in the balcony of her family’s mansion. The city lights stretched endlessly before her eyes, but they offered no comfort. Her hands gripped the porcelain teacup tightly, the cooling liquid inside is untouched. She had been sitting there for hours, lost in thoughts that she can't set aside inside her head. Images and encountered with Cayden flooded her mind. His quiet gaze when he used to wait for her at the dinner table, his weary smile whenever she dismissed him coldly, and finally, the night he packed his things silently, leaving nothing but a note she never even dared to read. Her chest constricted. “I was cruel to him… unforgivably cruel.” The words broke from her lips as tears burned her eyes. She swallowed hard, pressing a hand against her chest. “I thought I was doing what my family wanted. I thought I was protecting our name. But in the end, I destroyed the only man who ever truly cared

“Cayden, thank you for agreeing to meet with us.” The voice was polite, coated with forced warmth. Across the long mahogany table is Isabella’s father, Don Ricardo, his suit is neatly pressed. face carefully arranged into the mask of a businessman. Yet, there was tension, anxiety clinging to his words, his hands tightening over the documents before him. Cayden leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed but commanding. His sharp eyes flicked from one face to the other: Mrs. Mortaine Isabella’s mother, and her two cousins. Each of them was dressed with dignity, but their eyes betrayed desperation. The room was quiet, with only the sound of the air conditioner. Isabella sat at the far end, her hands clenched in her lap. She hadn’t spoken a word since the meeting started. Her throat felt tight and her heart raced as she looked at her estranged husband sitting across from her family, not as the struggling son-in-law he used to be, but as the distant, untouchable businessman he ha